First Ropes Course group of 2010

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  The weather is amazing, staff are rolling in, and it feels like camp is just around the corner.  In a month almost exactly (June 6^th) the first campers will be rolling up the road and the summer of 2010 will officially kick off!  Knowing how busy this time of year can be for everyone, we wanted to post some preparation tips for camp with plenty of lead time.

Parent Pack – by now, every registered camper should have received a mailing to help you organize before arrival.  This includes health and medical information for your camper, a suggested packing list (perhaps taped on the underside of your child’s trunk lid for reference), a cabin placement survey, a travel form, and other information about arrival and camp policies during the session.  If you have not already returned the necessary forms please get those to us soon.  If you need replacements of any forms or are looking for more information, please refer to the Parent Guide section of our website: www.highrocks.com/camp/parent_guide.htm   

Trunks – encompass a camper’s dresser, shipping container, seat, card table, step ladder for top bunks, and even an expression of self.  With six in a cabin, please keep the trunk/footlocker size to no larger than 14 inches high and 36 inches wide.  There are many different options on the market, ranging from plastic containers that will be good for a summer to high quality trunks that will stay with a camper for years.  One company we recommend is C&N Footlocker (www.trunksandfootlockers.com).  For those campers with a brand new trunk this year consider some bumper stickers/favorite sports teams/decoration on the outside to add a little spice, it makes for a great first day conversation starter.

Labels – when in doubt, label it!  It is a fact of camp life that things will be misplaced or forgotten. We have a system of lost-n-found, but it relies heavily on having a camper’s name attached to the item. Whether it be iron-on, stick-on, sewn, or Sharpie, please take the time to put your camper’s name on everything.  Initials are ok, first initial and full last name even better.  Don’t forget the shoes, socks, towels and non-clothes items: tennis rackets and balls, fishing poles, Crazy Creeks, flashlights, water bottles, etc.  Anything you would like to get back!

Collateral Damage – basically, don’t bring anything that you absolutely cannot live without. Camp by nature is a rough and tumble environment where things can and do get broken, usually with the best of intentions and much remorse after the fact.  It is not the place for nice clothes (except for a set for square dance night!) or expensive, easily broken items. 

Accoutrement – regardless of the length of session, camp happens in the blink of an eye. However, it is a veteran camper move to bring those comforts of home that make life just cushy enough for his stay.  Downtime is minimal, but provides a great chance to read a book, play cards with friends, or listen to music on a video-free IPod.  Any travel-size game is perfect for the cabin, especially if it is designed for two or more players.  A Frisbee, hacky sack or lacrosse stick facilitates pickup games and making friends. A small personal fan, unusual pillow case, or poster for near the bed makes the camper’s bunk more personalized and comfortable.  And of course there are the classic pictures of family/friends/pets taped on the underside of a trunk lid.

Correspondence – never a guarantee, but you can increase your odds.  Encourage your camper to write home.  Provide them with pre-addressed (and pre-stamped) envelopes in a zip-loc to combat humidity.  Include an address list of any potential recipients, just in case.  For some younger guys, the ad-lib pre-written letters can sometimes have better results.  Any letter supplies can also be purchased in the camp store.  

As always, we are here for any and all questions in the weeks leading up to camp.  Please don’t hesitate to call about anything, from types of quick-dry clothes to feelings of nervousness.  Hope everyone is enjoying a successful end to the school year and we can’t wait to see you! 

This summer, we have something new for our June Session paddlers.  High Rocks will be one of many camps participating in the 1^st Annual “Green River Games,” June 23^rd, hosted by Green River Adventures in Saluda, NC.  The best part is that the event is almost at the end of the session, which allows our campers who sign up for whitewater paddling to get fully in shape for the fun day on the river. 

As many of you know, our paddling program has its roots in tandem whitewater canoe.  As boys progress, they can then take a choice of kayak, C-1 (decked canoeing:  basically paddling a kayak on your knees with a canoe paddle), or OC-1 (Solo open boat canoe).  The program is designed to challenge you every summer you come back.   Each year the boys learn more and more skills on the lake as well as on many of the rivers in our area.  The guys start out on easy moving flatwater and then progress on to more difficult rivers as their skills allows.  Many of our most advanced paddlers (sometimes after several summers) paddle class III+ rivers during the summer.  Last summer we even introduced C-2 into the program.  Our C-2’s (tandem decked canoeing) are world class slalom boats and are the same boats paddled by Olympians in the whitewater slalom competition.  The boys will have plenty of time to get up to speed before the big event, including several trips down the Green River before the event even happens this summer.

The Green River Games will be an all day event on the Lower Green River near Saluda, North Carolina.  Sponsors, including Green River Adventures, will be providing mini clinics, professional athletes, extra boats to try out, and live web coverage.  We will wrap up the day with some fine Hubba Hubba BBQ, and a little entertainment.  Parents, we will send you information about the web coverage when we get closer to the event.  What fun to see your son on the river!  It’s going to be a great day on the water!

Up and over the roof or 55 feet of obstacles?

The Bouldering Cave under the gym has recently been framed in and is now ready for the climbing staff to figure the perfect place for each and every hold!  From the two roof sections, to the overhanging wall in the back, to all the boxes, angles, and other obstacles down each wall, the Cave will present a wide variety of challenges for all of our climbers.  The addition of fourteen new fluorescent lights illuminate the area better then ever before, making those precise moves more intentional, and less of a hope and prayer.  The floors, shown here post-construction, will actually be covered with layers of mats providing a soft landing zone when attempting the Iron Cross (ala Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible II).

Guaranteed to provide frustration, the roof/overhang/box corner.

The Cave is now covered by 1232 square feet of paneling, designed with more anchors then holds to allow for constantly changing features, moves, and problems.  Regardless of a camper’s experience, each will be able to find challenges that suit their individual ability and push their skills and confidence to new levels.  This hard work will pay off in increased comfort on the rock face and in their overall enjoyment of the sport.  Not to mention a sweet way to spend time on a rainy day!

The originators of the Bouldering Cave idea

Ryan with a nice sized trout

I took a day off last week to catch up with staff member Ryan Donovan.  Ryan has been running our mountain biking program for four years and will return for his fifth (backpack summer)season this summer.   We decided that a morning on a mountain trout stream would be a good way to hang out.  Ryan has been an avid fisherman since childhood, so I took him up on the chance to learn a few tricks about fly fishing for trout in North Carolina.

The Davidson River is probably the most noteworthy trout stream in our area.  Trout Unlimited rates the Davidson River as one of the top 100 wild trout streams in the United States.  Ryan first asked me if I wanted to fish for smart trout or dumb trout.  I didn’t really care.  Then he said, “Do you want to fish or catch trout.”  “Well, catching trout would probably be a whole lot more fun,” I said.  Given that information, we headed out to the East Fork of the French Broad River, which is a hatchery supported stream in North Carolina.  The Davidson is a great river, but the trout in the Wild designated areas see a lot of fishermen, and they are quite smart. 

Even though the weather was a little rainy from time to time, we had a great day!  I learned a lot about various presentation and drifting techniques.  Ryan and I took turns on different hot spots as we waded upstream together.  In the end we each caught a few trout and had a lot of fun taking in the mountain scenery.  We even witnessed a few stonefly and March Brown (Mayfly) hatches, as the first days of spring were approaching.

Don's trout. Not so big but good looking, right?

We are very fortunate to have great staff like Ryan.  In his “real life,” Ryan is the operations director for the Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education program at Brevard College.  I would say he’s a rock climber by choice, but he actually possesses a mastery of skills in a number of disciplines.  He says he really enjoys the shift to mountain biking during the summer, since he does spend a lot of time teaching rock climbing, and keeping up with the day to day operations of such a busy program during the school year.  The summer presents new challenges for him, and a welcomed change.  He enjoys the mentoring of staff, and teaching campers about such a great sport.

Along with his fishing, climbing, and mountain biking leadership, Ryan is also a Leave No Trace Master Educator.  He teaches outdoor leaders how to train participants the principles of LNT in the field.  Leave No Trace is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and stewardship of the outdoors.  Check out http://www.lnt.org/ for more information.  

It sure is great to have such wonderful natural resources so close to camp.  Maybe we’ll get the chance to take a few of the guys out to the East Fork this summer in our fishing program.  I am getting so excited about the summer and the camp season!  See you all very soon.

Don Gentle

The Rockit!

Is this thing cool or what??? They call it the “Rockit” and it will be on the waterfront at camp this summer.  Although it’s not an alien spaceship, the Rockit is guaranteed to provide at least as much entertainment. This versatile, circular water rocker offers unlimited fun for up to 8 people. Stand or sit in several different ways. Work together, or in factions to balance, roll it, and rockit!  It is sure to be a hit this year on the lake.

Other happenings around camp that will be noticeable to campers is the new arts and crafts, and pottery area.  The whole area under that section of the gym has been completely revamped and re-organized.  We have made better use of space for arts and crafts, gave pottery a little more room, and anticipate the bathrooms to be back up and running over by mountain biking.    The old pottery area will now be a small game table area with foosball and ping pong.  We have four new tables coming in next week!   It really looks cool down there.

Just on the other side of the wall, the bouldering cave is finally receiving its finishing touches.  We have added all new lighting and a completed bouldering area.  The cave will have two large roof sections and several advanced section to challenge everyone!

I am getting so excited about the summer!!!  Have a great weekend!

Don

don@highrocks.com

Summer camp… These words evoke games on a field, overnight camping trips, long sunny days, and sitting up late around a campfire. Parents are regaled with excited stories about favorite counselors, new experiences, friends made, and critters encountered. Where else would a child (or adult!) get the same breadth of experience packed into such an intense few weeks. The stimuli are nearly overwhelming, often resulting in a young camper exclaiming, “I don’t want to leave yet!”

With our population of all boys, that initial assessment is often all we hear at first. But it is in the slow accumulation of stories from parents, moments of reflection from campers, and our observations as staff that another level of camp begins to reveal itself. A current counselor observed about one of his campers: “The concrete skills that Billy learned such as paddling a canoe in a straight line will most likely not help him in his everyday life. However, when he leaves High Rocks, he will certainly take home skills which he won’t even realize that he learned.” Beneath the excitement, there are quieter impacts camp can have, frequently without a camper conscious of them occurring. In this particular time for our country, with every decision being weighed carefully, it is important to look past the surface talk of fun and consider the full value of a camp experience.

When a young camper arrives at High Rocks for the first time, he comes as an individual into a brand new environment. Often for the first time in his life, he now has no one to define him. His is a blank slate to build upon as each choice begins to define who he becomes in this new place. The benefit of camp has already begun as he enters the unknown. A new camper does not know what lies in store for him, how he will do, if he will make friends, but now he knows that he has made a choice; he has decided to brave the fear common to all first time campers and try something exciting, scary, and new. One of our Upper Seniors, the oldest campers and leaders for the rest of camp, reflects on his first time here, “When I first came to camp, I was very bad at making friends. I was under the impression that people would not like me and that I would be shunned. But at camp, people befriended me and I gained self-confidence. In my years coming back to camp, I have tried to do the same with others.”

In the time that follows, the days blend together in a series of activities, trips, meals, and games. Our new camper has made friends, tried many new activities, learned new skills, encountered challenges and experienced fear in pushing himself farther then he considered possible. He has become comfortable with his cabinmates, is part of a team during morning chores, and knows camp’s many secret trails and shortcuts. After stepping into a new world, He is emerging on the other side armed with friendships, memories, skills, and pride in his individual accomplishment. As one current camper put it, “I learned many more things at High Rocks than how to ride a bike. I learned leadership, and when to follow. I learned how to win, and how to lose. I learned how to be who I am today. I will remember that and take seriously the task of orienting, teaching, and leading other boys at camp.”

The second part of that quote reveals another impact of camp. As individual choices are made and changes recognized, our camper also begins to think of his new community. Camp life makes fellowship a necessity.  There is a need to support and be supported in order to face challenges, to attempt the unknown. For campers, this takes the form of pitching in with cabin chores, volunteering for clean up on a camp out, or helping a partner pass the gates course in a canoe. As campers return, their perspective slowly shifts. A returning Upper Senior: “Another skill I am finding to be invaluable is teaching. Having to work in the blazing sun with kids who can’t do things I find very simple is, at the very least, frustrating. As I work with my classmates and younger kids, I have found that the patience and ability to slow things down and move step by step not only helps the other person understand; it helps me learn whatever I am teaching so much better than I ever knew it before.”  Consistently we have seen returning campers take a new guy under their wing, a young camper talk to a peer about how he got over missing home. That respect of others occurs naturally in the camp environment, and will remain with a camper far beyond his years here….

Woody Noland
(For the rest of the story, check out the High Rocks Alumni newsletter coming to your mailbox!  If you can’t wait, download the newsletter today.)

Come visit us this spring and bring your dad with you for the fourth-annual Father/Son Weekend at Camp High Rocks!  This year’s event will be April 30^th-May 2^nd.  Enjoy some quality time with dad and have some fun around camp.  Activities include; High Ropes Course, Canoeing, Fishing, Water Slide, Climbing on the Tower, riflery/ archery, and more!

Preference is given to those thinking about camp for the first time and those who are registered first-year campers.  But, if we have space and you want to come, give us a call and we will see what we can do!

Be sure to check out further details and registration information on our website at http://highrocks.com/camp/father_son.htm .   We hope to see you there!

Left to Right: Stuart, Katie, and Wylie Dodson; Erin McManus; Liddell Shannon; Logan, Andie, and Robert Dye; Grace and Zoob Gentle; Gary Thompson

This past Sunday was a fun event at the Gentle’s!  A long-time friend and colleague of the High Rocks community came to visit all the way from Idaho.  Many on the staff-side know him as “Uncle Gary.”   Gary Thompson worked for six seasons at High Rocks, from 1998-2003.  He only worked the summers at camp for two seasons, but spent several years as an instructor for our “LEAP” school group program and an additional summer as an expedition leader.  After graduating from Brevard College, he pursued a Master’s at the University of Idaho.  He came back to help out at Brevard College, including one trip with Robert Dye (wearing the High Rocks hat) in Argentina.  Gary is currently living in McCall Idaho where he is the Director of Operations and Leadership at McCall Outdoor Science School and a seasonal NOLS instructor.

Let me give you a little background on the rest of those pictured above.

Stuart, Katie, and “Baby Wylie” have a combined 17 years of summers at camp.  Both served as staff for all of those years and met at camp.  They both currently live in Brevard and are focused on their daughter Wylie.

Erin McManus came to High Rocks by way of Camp Green Cove and worked several seasons with the LEAP school group program.  Erin has managed to stay in the area after earning her masters degree at Wake Forest.  She has most recently been the Pre-College Coordinator for WCU’s Center for Math and Science.

Liddell Shannon is another amazing local legend.  She’s made a point of calling Western North Carolina home after spending years working at a number of different outdoor programs in the area.  Like Erin, Liddell came to us by way of Camp Green Cove, and spent several season in our LEAP school group program.  She just finished up another summer in Alaska at area tripping program, Adventure Treks.  When not traveling the world over, Liddell is currently working for the GEAR-UP college readiness program in Cherokee, NC and has just finished her Masters in Education at Western.

Next from the left, Logan Dye is currently coming back for his fourth summer at High Rocks.  He and his parents (pictured) live in Brevard all year long.  His dad, Robert works as a professor in the Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education program at Brevard College.

It was a great gathering of friends all linked together by our connections with Gary and Camp High Rocks.  Many of us had not been together in a number of years.  Good food, great stories, and a lot fun!!!  Keep in touch everyone and stay safe!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We  just wrapped up our fall camper recruiting here at High Rocks. Our travels took us to over thirty different cities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and New England!  We all enjoyed re-visiting with campers and families from the summer as well as having a chance to meet and introduce new families to the Camp High Rocks experience!

Our new video was finished just in time fro travels season.  We heard many favorable reviews about it; if you have not had a chance to see it, follow this High Rocks Video link.

Here are some pictures from our various travels. Click on any of the images to get the full picture.

Many, many thanks to all of our families who hosted such great events!  It was a pleasure to visit with all of you; we couldn’t have pulled it off without you!  Have a great school year; we look forward to seeing you this summer!

Don Gentle

The American Camp Association® (ACA) announced today that CAMP HIGH ROCKS has received ACA-Accredited®Camp status for 2010. On July 29, two ACA standards visitors reviewed the Camp High Rocks program by interviewing directors, program staff, nurses, kitchen managers, and campers as well as  looking over nearly 300 protocols and supporting written documentation.

“ACA Accreditation means that Camp High Rocks submitted to a thorough (up to 300 standards) review of its operation by the American Camp Association (ACA) — from staff qualifications and training to emergency management — and complied with the highest standards in the industry,” said Cindy Moore, National Standards Commission.

“Parents expect their children to attend accredited schools.  They also deserve a camp experience that is reviewed and accredited by an expert, independent organization,” Moore said.

“CAMP HIGH ROCKS and ACA form a partnership that promotes summers of growth and fun in an environment committed to safety,” said Don Gentle, Associate Director, “ACA accreditation demonstrates our commitment to quality camp programming.”

Camp High Rocks is currently the only camp in the nation that is Accreditated by the American Camp Association and the Association for Experiential Education (AEE). AEE focuses more on high adventure activities like rocks climbing, whitewater canoeing, mountain biking, and backpacking.  AEE accredits adventure programs like NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and Project Adventure, as well as other outdoor university programs and and schools.  Camp High Rocks was the very first program to be accredited by AEE back in 1994.  We enjoy how the two accreditations compliment each other and help keep our program not only on top of industry standards but focused on some of the best practices available.